


Do You Know Who I Kissed That Night?

by ProcrastinatingArtist



Series: Tumblr Prompts [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Because Cap is a gentleman, F/M, Flashbacks, Loki as matchmaker, Matchmaker Natasha Romanov, Misunderstanding, No one likes sadness, Oblivious Tony Stark, Oh I guess there may be some questionable consent then, ShieldShock - Freeform, because i can't help myself, blackout drinking, but just kissing, i cleaned up some tags because they were bothering me dont judge, probably because it's Asgardian alcohol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-24 16:44:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14958326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProcrastinatingArtist/pseuds/ProcrastinatingArtist
Summary: Tumblr PromptDarcy's having a bit of a problem remembering, and Steve's not sure what's going on anymore. Can these two idiots get their heads out of their asses long enough to see they're falling in love?AU fic where I don't care what happened in Infinity War, I only care that all my babies know and love one another. To an extent.





	1. The Discovery

Darcy woke with a start and a massive hangover. The sudden movement sent volts of pain through her head to the pit of her stomach, which was just enough warning for her to get to the toilet to regurgitate the alcohol...or whatever was still in her stomach. She blearily made her way back to her couch, where she had supposedly spent the small hours of the morning, and fell back asleep.

 

Waking again a few hours later, Darcy felt incrementally better. _Water. Water is what hungover people need_ , she thought, standing carefully and shuffling towards the kitchen. “Oh look,” she winced as she spoke aloud, _a glass of water._ On the kitchen island there was indeed a glass of water, and a clean shot glass containing ibuprofen. _Drunk me really does take care of hungover me._

 

Leaning against the counter as she waited for the drugs to take effect, she slowly became aware of the fact that she wasn’t connected to her phone in any way. As a proud millennial, being anywhere without her phone was a fate worse than death. But she couldn’t remember where she put it down. Actually, now that she’s thinking about it, she doesn’t remember much of last night at all.

 

It was a Tony Stark party, Darcy was very sure about that. Tony Stark parties have the most alcohol. Why he threw the party is a little fuzzy still, but she thinks it had something to do with the other members on the team. A birthday? Anniversary? _Ugh. I’ll figure it out later._

 

Back to her phone. Where did she leave it? She remembers having it in her bra for the first part of the evening, as classy party-wear doesn’t come with pockets. But then there were jello shots, and she remembers white teeth in a charming grin, and … _handing her phone to someone else!_

 

But she doesn’t just hand her phone to people. Maybe it was Jane. Maybe Jane has her phone. Darcy trusts Jane with her phone. Maybe Drunk Darcy also trusts Jane with her phone? Hopefully Drunk Darcy doesn’t trust just anyone with her phone.

 

Darcy gently rested her forehead on the cool countertop, brain working its way back into hangover mode. _Panicking isn’t helping,_ she unhelpfully thought. Nonetheless, she shuffled back to the couch, taking what was left of her glass of water with her. _I’m sure my phone will still be fine in a couple of hours._

 

\--

 

Banging on the door woke Darcy five hours later, and she had to ask Friday what time it was.

 

“Two pm, ma’am,” the AI helpfully supplied.

 

_Ugh. I haven’t slept that long over a hangover since college._

 

They banged on the door again, harder. Over the racket, Darcy could hear, “Darcy! Open up! Friday says you’re in there! Come get your damn phone! It won’t stop ringing and I’m about to smash it!”

 

“Friday,” Darcy called worriedly, “please open the door.” As the lock clicked open, Darcy rolled off the couch again, straightening her clothes and grabbing the glass of water on the coffee table.

 

The door swung open and Tony Stark stood there, fist still raised. _Damn,_ Darcy thought, _he looks like I felt this morning._ And it was true. Tony’s hair had definitely not been brushed since before his party, standing every which way on his head. His shirt, which was probably the same AC/DC shirt he had on at the party, was now inside out and backwards, the tag curling up under his chin, most likely hastily donned when he - or more likely, Pepper - could no longer stand the noise of Darcy’s many alarms. That they’re still ringing this late in the day and the phone is still intact is interesting, but she’ll look into that when she doesn’t have a red-eyed, only-boxers-no-pants Stark in her doorway.

 

“I’m sorry!” she called, downing the water and walking towards the door. “I honestly didn’t know what I did with it, and I was a little too hungover earlier to care.”

 

Tony, paying little heed to her outstretched hand, walked into her kitchen and made himself a glass of water, and downed it faster than he downed his whiskey last night. The phone in his hand started ringing again, “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire - not something she usually listened to, but she had to admit it was definitely a good morning song - and Tony seemed to realize it was still in his hand and he was not in his own kitchen. He looked around. “Lewis! Your phone keeps ...singing. Why do I have your phone?”

 

Darcy finally managed to grab it from him, silencing that alarm and all the others. What? A girl’s gotta be prepared. Especially when that girl doesn’t go to bed until after midnight and has to wrangle scientists and other miscellaneous Avengers before 7am. Naps are a necessity.

 

Tony shook his head and placed his glass in her sink, no longer interested. “Whatever. Don’t lose it again.” He turned and left her apartment, as dignified as a man wearing hulk boxer shorts and and inside-out t-shirt can look. Darcy giggled as the door shut behind him. Just-woken-up Tony is probably her favorite.

 

Absently placing her own glass in the sink, Darcy turned her attention to her phone. Almost Nokia-like in durability, StarkPhones are notoriously hard to damage. But that doesn’t mean she’s not going to look it over anyways. Maybe it’ll give her some clue as to what happened last night. The battery was just under 40% (another StarkPhone perk, excellent battery life), and the screen was the same as before - there was a small scratch in the corner from a run-in with a doorway she will never let anyone know about.

 

Unlocking it, she went straight to her photo album. Knowing Drunk Darcy, everything she wants to know will be in there. 448 new photos. Scrolling through them, she can see that most of them are blurry or entirely black, but that’s what you get for trying to take photos drunk. But the ones she could actually make out were less than illuminating. Near the beginning, there were photos of balloons and the table arrangements she remembered wanting to post to Pinterest later, and a few of the World-Saving-Bros she figured she’d sell. Everyone loves a good Thor photo. But then she gets drunk and the quality of her pics goes way down. Three-quarters of the way through them, she starts to see herself in the photos. This was obviously when she handed the phone to someone.

 

Squinting at one photo, she sees herself, still mostly flawless in her simple yet stunning black cocktail dress, but occupied with something or someone that’s mostly hidden behind her and cast in shadow. Swiping to the next photo, which was a little less clear and featured the blurriest head of Thor ever to exist in the bottom corner, she could see an obviously masculine hand curling around her waist, and her head was tilted up towards where his head must have been. However, due to her updo and the poor lighting, she still couldn’t tell who he was.

 

The next photo wasn’t much help either, except for the very clear passion with which her and the mystery guy were making out. His other hand had made it around to the backside of her head, and she was up on her toes even further than her heels had allowed.

 

There was no next photo.

 

“God damn it!” Darcy almost hurled her phone into the wall. Now, not only does she not remember last night at all, but now she has slightly blurry evidence that she made out with someone and they were both very into it. On top of that, she woke up in her own apartment, on her couch, in her pajamas, sans phone.

 

Acting on a far-fetched thought, Darcy scoured her phone’s contact list for any new entries. The abysmally small number of contacts had not been added to, unfortunately. She face-palmed. Of course it hadn’t been. The only people at that party last night she didn’t have digits for was the spider kid and his girlfriend, and she was _not_ about to be the weirdo who asked minors for their phone numbers.

 

She sighed. Now what was she going to do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my idea for the dress:  
> 


	2. An Attempt

Darcy bustled into Jane’s lab the next morning, back to her immaculate self on the outside, but still all wound up inside. The mystery is consuming her normal thought processes, and it’s a miracle she’s not still wearing her slippers.

 

Finding Jane, she beelined towards her. “Jane! Hi, do you remember much of that party two nights ago?”

 

Jane laughed. “Probably more than you. But once Loki brought in the Asgardian ale, it kind of...fuzzes out.”

 

“ _ That _ explains it!” Now she remembers that entrance. Loki swaggers in through some otherworldly portal, followed by an honest-to-god  _ barrel _ of the ale rolling magically behind him. Apparently it’s not a party until the alien booze shows up.

 

She amended yesterday’s thought about phone numbers; apparently there were more people at that party than she remembered, and she’s fairly positive Asgardians didn’t carry cell phones.

 

That opened up a lot more possibilities than she cared to think about.

 

Jane was talking again. “- and then you handed me your phone, which was definitely a good idea after all the ale you drank, and then lost track of it? I can get you a new one, if you haven’t found it yet.” Those big, brown, doe eyes were all earnest and apologetic, and while Darcy wasn’t sure how they got to that point, she at least had part of the answer to that mystery.

 

“Jane, it’s ok. Tony brought it to me yesterday afternoon.”

 

“Tony?” A look of disbelief crossed Jane’s face. “Huh. Ok.”

 

“Yeah,” Darcy continued, now making her way towards her little work space, which was more of a glorified closet filled with unfiled paperwork and snacks than anything near as professional-looking as the rest of the room. “He was probably forced to do it by Pepper. I did kinda have all my alarms set still.”

 

“Ouch.” Jane was now only half paying attention to the conversation now, reading through some data on a tablet in her hand. “The noise. Hangover. Must’ve been fun.”

 

“Jane, about how many guys do you think were at that party that are approximately Thor’s height?”

 

“Yeah, Thor… Wait, what? Why?” She now had Jane’s undivided attention again. 

 

“I...have some controversial evidence that points towards me making out with someone very tall that night. But…”

 

“But you don’t remember,” Jane finished. At Darcy’s nod, she asked, “What kind of evidence?”

 

Darcy pulled out her phone and showed her the last three photos. After clearing out all the uselessly blurred and shadowy photos, she had considerably less to go through. Those three, however inconclusive, were all the evidence she had that she finally made some kind of romantic connection since Ian. Way, way too long ago. 

 

“Yeah, he probably is about Thor’s height,” Jane concluded after a couple minutes. “But, you know there’s more than a few men around here that have a similar stature.” Darcy groans at that and slams her head into her desk. Wincing in sympathy but used to Darcy’s reactions, Jane continues, “I mean, this could be Nick Fury for all you know. Or Clint, or Tony, or...Steve!”

 

The last name was addressed to its owner, who had walked into the lab just then. 

 

Darcy didn’t realize this, as she still had her head down and her eyes closed. “Ugh, yeah, like I’d kiss  _ him _ .”

 

“Dr. Foster. Hello to you too, Miss Lewis.” Darcy gasped and jerked upright, hands rising to cover her mouth in embarrassment, but Steve had already turned to Jane. “I’m actually looking for Dr. Banner. He’s not in his quarters or with Tony, and I was hoping to find him here.”

 

“I haven’t seen him yet today.” Jane answers, all business. “Have you checked the generators or Tony’s new arc reactor? I know he’s been meaning to test his newest project for a while.”

 

“Ah, no, I don’t actually know where those are.”

 

“Oh.” Jane looks up from her tablet again, where her eyes had inexorably dropped again. “I could…” she glanced back at her tablet, then over at Darcy. 

 

_ Oh no, _ Darcy thought.  _  Don’t do it. _

 

“Darcy, could you show him where the generators and the reactor are? I really can’t put this down right now.”

 

_ Damn. _ “Sure, boss lady.”


	3. The Offer

Darcy had never before been on a more awkward elevator ride. While the official Avenger business happened at the upstate facility they repurposed a few years back, the Avengers Tower (still lovingly called “Stark Tower” by Tony) is the unofficial home of the heroes themselves, as well as quite a few of the research divisions, by necessity - jobs tend to either overlap (Dr. Banner) or intermarry (Jane and Thor, Pepper and Tony, etc.). Because of this, getting from Jane’s astrophysics lab (near the roof) to the power sources for the tower (in a sub-basement) necessitates a rather long elevator ride. A long, silent, elevator ride.

 

Until Steve opens his mouth.

 

“May I ask why you were talking about kissing me?”

 

_Oh, for the love of -- Just get straight to the point, why don’t you?_ Darcy hums, unsure, then decides, _the hell with it. It’s not like he can have a lower opinion of me._ “I kissed someone at the party Saturday night. Don’t know who it was. Can’t remember.”

 

She glanced sideways at Steve to see his reaction. That there didn’t seem to be one was an odd source of disappointment.

 

“And you thought it could have been me?”

 

“Pfft. No! Jane was listing guys who may have been there in the right height range. I didn’t see you come in.” _The audacity!_

 

“Oh, of course. Sorry for misunderstanding.”

 

Darcy glanced at him again. He seemed only minimally involved with the conversation; his tone and words conveyed only mild interest, as though they weren't talking about the potential of their macking in public two nights ago. She knew they didn’t really like each other, but anyone would think the paragon of truth and righteousness and honesty would at least seem flustered by the insinuation that he was doing anything even remotely indecent in public.

 

Darcy figured she should at least try to wrap up that conversation and hope it never came up again. “So yeah. Hopefully I’ll find the guy and figure out what happened. Since I don’t remember much after a certain mischief deity showed up with the booze, I was hoping my mystery man would help me clarify things.”

 

Steve looked at her, opened his mouth, and shut it again. Darcy couldn’t decipher the look on his face. She imagined it was somewhere between incredulity and disgust. Opening his mouth again, Steve offers, “I’m… Well, I was at the party, perhaps I could be of assistance. If you want, that is.”

 

She flashed back to the last time they had any semblance of a conversation. _At least he’s asking now_ . Then she had a thought, and almost laughed in his face. _Captain America, playing matchmaker._ She flashed him a grin, dimples and all. “Why not? I could use a hand. Besides, you can’t get drunk, right? So you’d remember more, regardless of what you were focused on. Maybe you saw who I was making out with.”

 

_Ding!_

 

The elevator doors opened finally, saving Steve from answering. Bruce stood just on the other side of the doors, lugging some contraption that was most likely the thing he was wanting to do tests on.

 

“Oh hey guys. You off here?” Bruce asks, attempting to gesture with a hand and get out of the doorway, but failing because of the machinery.

 

“Hey, Bruce. Actually, we were looking for you,” Darcy explains. With a little bit of maneuvering and only a couple pinched fingers and stepped-on toes, all three of them and the experiment were in the elevator and headed back up.

 

Silently.

 

\--

 

Steve and Bruce got off the elevator well before Darcy, but not before Steve says, “Whenever you want to talk, send me a message.”

 

Rather than decipher _that,_ Darcy retreated to her desk and Jane’s dubious comfort. Thinking Jane had the right idea earlier, Darcy started compiling a list of the taller residents of the tower who may have been at the party. At 5’3” herself, the list was disappointingly long.

 

She’d like to think she had some standards. Like, staying in her approximate age range, or away from married/engaged/dating couples. So that would disqualify Fury (thank god), Tony, Thor - duh, he was in one of the photos - and Bruce. Wade Wilson - while extremely fun at parties - kind of freaks her out. Watching him regrow limbs is super weird.

 

The list of people she had left was much more manageable, but she had a few questions still. Matt Murdock, Peter Quill, Clint Barton, Sam Wilson, Loki, Drax, and Steve Rogers.

 

“Darcy? Can I get a hand?”

 

_Excuse me, men. I’ll be back._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm aware some of those men I listed have S/Os. Darcy don't know that though ;)


	4. Two Months Earlier...

_ The tower shook again, from an explosion down below. _

 

_ “Jane! We need to get out of here! Now!” Darcy screamed at her. _

 

_ “I know, I know…” Jane was running around, flipping switches and stuffing smaller bits into her pockets, then stumbled to a stop in front of one machine, staring at it contemplatively. _

 

_ “Jane! Let’s go!” _

 

_ Jane looked up at Darcy, almost surprised. “I know how to get rid of them.” _

 

_ Darcy gaped at her. “What?” _

 

_ “I know how to get them all back to their world or universe or whatever! This,” Jane gestured at the machine, “will reverse their portal and suck them all back inside! It’ll keep more of them from coming in!” _

 

_ “Great!” Darcy darted forward and grabbed the middling-sized contraption and Jane’s arm. “Now let’s go!” _

 

_ As Darcy dragged them both down a back stairwell - way too many stairs to get to the bottom, she thought - Jane started explaining how the machine worked. Darcy didn’t pay her much attention besides “This switch turns it on, and you have to turn this knob to the right frequency. But you won’t know what that is until you’re right next to the portal. This doesn’t have a very large range because…”  _ Got it. Gotta get close to the very dangerous, crazy aliens who want to kill us all. What a great idea.

 

_ They managed to get to the ground floor after about ten minutes, and Jane left to make sure all the other evacuees were safe and that there was a temporary med station set up nearby, leaving Darcy with the portal-vacuum and a near-certainty that she’ll die.  _ Maybe not immediately. But it’ll hurt.

 

_ Sneaking through the wreckage of the tower and the bodies of aliens already defeated by the Avengers, Darcy managed to get within fifteen feet of the portal before the gravity of the alien world started affecting her.  _ I hope this is close enough, _ she thought as she turned the contraption on. A whirring sound, not unlike the bootup of her laptop, and bright blinking lights notified her it was working.  _ Ok. Now, turn the knob. It’ll start sucking aliens back when it’s at the right frequency. _ Turning the knob slowly, as instructed, Darcy started worrying it wouldn’t work. She couldn’t stop glancing around, knowing that someone would notice her eventually. She hoped it would be an Avenger, and not an alien. She suddenly remembered her taser, sitting in her desk drawer.  _ Stupid, stupid, stupid.

 

_ She finally was noticed. With a trilling scream, three aliens ran up behind her. Darcy cowered, covering her head with the arm not interacting with the machine. Just when she was sure she was about to die, Captain America’s shield whipped through the air, barreling through the three aliens just as the machine next to her started rattling and emitting a high-pitched squeal.  _ I found it! _ But nothing else seemed to be happening.  _ I have to get closer.

 

_ Without even a thank you to Cap, Darcy picked up the machine and ran closer to the portal. _

 

_ “Darcy! No!” She hears him yell behind her, but she pays him no mind.  _

 

Almost there...Got it! _ The machine is shaking harder and the sound rose so much in pitch she can no longer hear it. The ground beneath her was relinquishing its hold, as though it wanted her to leave with the aliens. As she whipped her head around, she could see the aliens being violently pulled back to their homeworld, as though some invisible hand had grabbed them and yanked. There was nothing any of them could do to stay. Even Darcy was being claimed. _

 

_ The machine in her arms was pulling her towards the portal.  _ I have to let go. Sorry Jane! _ And she let it go. It barely left her hands before Earth’s gravity reasserted itself, causing her to stumble.  _

 

_ Captain America tackled her from the side, pushing her further out of range of the portal and rolling them both another few feet. As she sat up, Darcy saw the contraption she had carried drag along the ground, inching its way through the portal. As it finally crossed the threshold, the portal destabilized and collapsed. The only evidence of the invasion was the rubble of the surrounding buildings and the back half of Jane’s machine. _

 

_ The scrapes and bruises of their tumble screamed into her top priority. Turning to look at Cap, who had sat up as well, she shouted the only thing she could think of. “What the hell?!” _

 

_ Cap’s eyes widened. “Wha-” _

 

_ “I had it! I was fine! Why the hell did you attack me?” _

 

_ His jaw clenched around his reaction, and he said, “You were being pulled in. I didn’t think you’d like being stuck on a different world.” _

 

_ “I wasn’t going to be! It was under control! Jeez. I don’t need some beefy blonde guy to save me all the time.” _

 

_ Steve looked away from her, hurt. “Well, if you’ve got it handled.” He stood and walked away, leaving Darcy on the ground. _


	5. Present Day... (pt. 1)

Darcy ran into Steve again as she left work that evening. Jane and her crew had kept her busy the rest of the day, running errands and “Hold this exactly like this please. Good, now don’t move.” Sure, don’t get her wrong, Darcy thinks Earth having its own bifrost system would be cool, especially since Asgard’s got destroyed when it did…

 

She just also can’t really think about science things when the possibility that she really did kiss Steve exists. She can’t believe she could have been that dumb. Mr. Don’t-Worry-I’ll-Save-You can kiss her ass. She don’t need anyone to save her.

 

“Oh, Miss Lewis. Good, you haven’t left.” Steve jogged into the lab as Darcy was packing her things. “I was wanting to-”

 

“Hey Steve. I actually have a couple more errands I need to run, so maybe another time, ok?” Frantically shoving more things into her bag, she tried to get out from behind her desk before he could get to her.

 

No dice. He was leaning against the doorframe as she closed her bulging bag, looking like some golden Adonis perfectly at ease. Squeezing past him, she heard him say, “If you don’t mind, I could accompany you.”

 

She glanced back at him. “They’re not dangerous errands.”

 

He smirked, as though he thought that wasn’t possible. “Merely as a conversation partner, then.”

 

Well. She couldn’t argue with that. Shrugging, she held the lab door open for him to follow her.

 

They made it to her first location without speaking.  _ So much for conversation partners. _

 

After she hit the elevator button for the first floor, however, he asked, “How far have you gotten towards finding your mystery man?”

 

Darcy almost laughed.  _ What is it with you and elevators? _ “I’ve got a few names to look into.”

 

“Mind sharing? I might be able to help.”

 

Seeing only earnestness in his eyes, she relented. “Well, my incomplete list includes Fury, Stark, Thor, Bruce, Clint, Sam, Deadpool, Matt Murdock, Starlord, Loki, and Drax.”  _ And you. _

 

At his astonished expression, Darcy continued, “I’ve disqualified Thor, because he’s in one of the photos I have of the incident, and I’m really hoping Drunk Darcy has enough sense to stay away from Fury, Stark, Bruce, and Deadpool, due to age, relationship, and general weirdness.”

 

“You have photos of it?”

 

Darcy huffed out a laugh. “Kinda? They’re not really useful.”

 

“You mind if I look at them?” 

 

Dacy looked at him, the curious lack of emotion in his voice flashing a couple warning lights, but nothing she could put her finger on. “Sure. There’s only these three, and they’re not really the best…”

 

Steve takes her phone and flips through the pictures, then studies them in turn. Handing her phone back, he says “Well, you can rule out Drax and Sam, because you would have seen Drax behind you. He’s a big fellow. Sam, because the hands you can see are much paler than his skin tone. Oh, and Clint, because he’s married.”

 

“Clint’s married?” Darcy couldn’t believe it. He just didn’t seem the type.

 

Steve huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, Clint’s married. Surprised the rest of us too. Even a coupla kids.”

 

“Huh.”

 

The elevator doors  _ ding _ ed open, and Darcy pondered that as she absently led Steve through the lobby of the tower. Stopping at a service desk, she asked, “Any other insights?”

 

“Well, you could take Murdock off the list. He wasn’t there. And I think he’s got a ladylove who doesn’t like to leave the Kitchen, but that’s just speculation.”

 

“Alrighty…” Mentally adjusting her list, she realizes she’s left with Peter Quill, Loki, and Steve himself. 

 

“Quill’s a womanizer, but I believe he has a thing going with the green one… Gamora. And Loki-” Steve was cut off by someone running up to them. 

 

“Cap! Cap, they need you on a quinjet!” The man was out of breath, having run across the room from a back stairwell, dodging the everyday people going about their business. Darcy heard random words from the hushed conversation, like “Hydra,” “paging you,” and “Barnes.”

 

_ Oh, _ she thought.  _ I didn’t think about Bucky. He’s about the right height. _ Thinking back to the photos, she had to admit that his left hand would be either much darker or shinier than the one in the image.  _ Ah. Probably best I didn’t think of him. Steve may act weirder if I told him I may have kissed his best friend. _

 

“I’m sorry, Darcy,” Steve interrupted her musing. “I’ve got to go. Tiny emergency at the upstate facility.”

 

“Okay. Yeah, go take care of that.” 

 

Steve smiled at her, then rushed off with the man. 

 

Before she could think too much about how that was the first time he’s used her first name in two months, a voice behind her asked, “You called?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter, one mischievous person, stage left!


	6. Loki

Darcy turned and stared at him. “Uhh…”

 

Loki  _ tsk _ ed. “You can’t deny it; my name was very clear.”

 

Darcy blinked and shut her mouth. “Well, I didn’t expect you to show up. And technically Steve said your name.”

 

He heaved a sigh. “Boring. And how is our good Captain? Still as patriotic as ever?”

 

“Well, I wouldn’t know. We’ve only started talking again today.”

 

Loki eyed her knowingly. “Have you now.”

 

Darcy eyed him back, though more speculatively. “You know something.”

 

Practically sparkling with the withheld knowledge, he smirked back. “It’s a lovely day for a walk. Care to join me?”

 

\--

 

About half an hour later found them wandering around Central Park in frustrating silence. 

 

_ Freaking silence again. What’s with these ancient assholes and silence?! _

 

Practically bursting in exasperation, Darcy demands, “Ok, we’re out here, we’re walking, what do you know?”

 

“Horses have almost three hundred and sixty degree vision.”

 

“Horses- Wait what?”

 

“Cats can fit through any hole their head fits through.”

 

“What… Why-”

 

“Oh, that’s because cats do not have a collarbone. Holds humans back, doesn’t it?”

 

“Loki, I don’t want to know about cats or horses.”

 

“Oh? But you asked what I knew. What was I to do with such a vague question?”

 

Darcy stared at the colorful trees around them, silently hoping the odd man-shaped alien next to her was not the one she kissed at the party. He is much too frustrating for her to get along with for any great period of time. 

 

“As I said, it’s a lovely day for a walk.”

 

Glancing sideways at him, all Darcy could see was admiration for the world around them, and she had to grant it was spectacular. The greens have faded to yellows and some brightened to reds, shading them with a canopy that was a riot of color. The ivy crawling across the Bow Bridge shone vibrant red in the late afternoon sunlight where the gardeners have left it to grow. The leaves crunching under their feet lent themselves to the Autumn atmosphere.

 

Realizing he wouldn’t volunteer information without specific prompt, Darcy phrased her question carefully in her head before speaking it. “After you came to the party two nights ago, did you happen to see what I had done? And would you tell me?”

 

Loki turned and smiled at her, but not the sinister smile he used to give earthlings. This one seemed sincere, and that worried her. “My dear, of course I know.”

 

Loki began, “A month ago, when I was helping Thor out with a discolored humanoid-” 

 

“A month ago? What does this have to do with-”

 

“Patience, girl.” When Darcy begrudgingly quieted, he continued, “As I said. A month ago, I was staying with Thor for a few days and happened to notice something...curious. A little poking around gave me a few answers. Small-scale invasion, snide comments, general run-of-the-mill gossip patter, but it was those whom it concerned that interested me. A... friend of ours was having lady issues, someone he was interested in pursuing, but he couldn’t figure out what he did that caused this woman to hate him so much. Thinking perhaps he should back off for a while, let her cool down, maybe this woman would be amicable towards him again. 

 

“But it’s been a few weeks, and her feelings didn’t seem to change. She’d started avoiding him, not speaking to him if they were in the same room, giving off a - hmm, what is it you Midgardians say? -  _ cold vibe _ .” He chuckled and the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees for a couple seconds. “But when I interacted with her, nothing seemed to be amiss. She worked diligently, same as usual, she seemed happy, even blissful at times, except for when around this fellow. Something about him made her clam up. So, I decided to see what would happen if I got the two of them together with a little less inhibition.”

 

Darcy blinked. His story  _ felt _ familiar, but not quite enough to ring any bells. “What did you do?”

 

Loki laughed at that, surprised and amused that she hadn’t put the pieces together yet. “Oh, my dear girl, I brought the pride and joy of the Asgardian wineries to Natasha’s party two nights ago!”


	7. Two Nights Ago... (Loki)

_ Loki strode through his portal, feeling rather like Stark in the way he caused most of the party-goers to pause in conversation and stare at him. Perhaps Stark and he had more in common than he thought. The massive barrel behind him might be generating more interest than he himself, he granted. Directing it to rest on a corner of the counter in the kitchenette, he then turned to greet his brother.  _

 

_ “Loki! How are you, little brother?” Thor boomed, already buzzed on his own stash of Asgardian mead.  _

 

_ Trying not to wince at the strength of the hug Thor gave him, Loki stepped out of the embrace and straightened his sleeves. “I’m well, brother. Thought I’d bring a gift to our guest of honor.” He turned to find the woman in question. “Where is the fair Natasha?” _

 

_ Thor raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t believe the two of you had reconciled.” _

 

_ “Perhaps not, but a gift of goodwill may not, perhaps, go amiss?” This Loki addressed to Natasha, as she had sashayed through the throng to greet the newcomer, however dubious his invitation was. _

 

_ Natasha considered him. _

 

_ “I will consume the first drink, if you are so inclined,” Loki offered. _

 

_ Thor glanced at him askance. It was not like Loki to concede anything to anyone, let alone a Midgardian. That he did now was either a true gesture of reconciliation or part of a larger game. _

 

_ Lifting her chin, Natasha decides, “That’s not necessary.” Louder, she declares, “Drinks on Loki!” _

 

_ Cheers rang out across the room, and a handful of party-goers approach them. Darcy is among them, though judging by her wobble, she should have stopped drinking two or three drinks ago. _

 

_ Loki analyzed her attitude towards a certain patriotic partier against her inebriation, and comes up lacking. The ale would be needed after all.  _

 

_ Wishing Natasha a “Happy Birthday,” as the other partiers do as they pass, he slides through the throng and establishes himself near the back of the room, where he could see both Darcy and Steve. _

 

_ Darcy passed a small, black, rectangular device to Thor’s ladylove, then pours herself a healthy serving of ale. Loki wonders if he should mentioned how strong the alcohol was. He wanted her disinhibited, not dead. _

 

_ He needn’t have worried, or at least not so much. Before Darcy had put away half her glass, Steve walked over and took it from her. A hushed argument took place, with Darcy reaching for her glass, and Steve quickly gulping it down to keep her out of it.  _

 

_ Loki huffed out a laugh. Perhaps the good Captain will be a little uninhibited as well. _

 

_ A slower song - not necessarily a  _ slow _ song, just slower than the rapid pulsing of the previous tune - starts to pump from the speakers stationed around the room, and Loki noticed the small scientist,  _ Jane, her name is Jane, _ pull his brother out into the empty area of the room. The small rectangle Darcy had given her lay discarded on the counter near the ale he brought. _

 

_ Unsure why exactly he wanted to figure out what this item was - it’s never wise to pry into the affairs of women, no matter their race - Loki strode over and picked it up. As he brought it to eye level, the screen lit up, and he realized he was looking at a photo of Darcy and Jane behind a clock and a couple other notifications.  _ Ah. It’s one of their cellular devices.

 

_ Looking up to locate Steve and Darcy once again, he sees them in a darker corner of the penthouse, standing very close together.  _ Finally.

 

_ Recalling the amount of liquor Darcy’s had to drink, Loki fiddles with her cell phone and finds the camera application. By the time he figured out how to operate it and snapped a few photos, the two of them had kissed, giggled, and fled the party with each other. _

 

_ Looking around for Thor’s woman to give the uncooperative device to her once again, he realized that they, too, had left, though their after-party activities would be much less inhibited by alcohol. Shrugging, he found Tony instead. The other man was laughing with Natasha, sipping his own glass of Asgardian ale and finally looking relaxed.  _ No longer carrying the world on one’s shoulders will do that to a man _ , Loki thought.  _

 

_ Handing the phone to him, Loki said, “This belongs to a lady friend of the Captain. Get that back to her, would you?”  _

 

_ Tony looked at him in confusion, then eyed his drink. “Cap doesn’t have lady friends...outside of present company, of course.”  _

 

_ Natasha smirked and sipped from her drink.  _

 

_ Loki raised a brow. “No? I think that may have changed then.”  _

 

_ Tony grabbed the phone, toggled the backlight on, and stared at the photo. “Foster seems to be more of a friend of your brother… You mean Darcy?” Tony laughed. “Those two wouldn’t spit on the other if they were on fire.”  _ __

 

_ “Are you sure?” Summoning a portal back to the place he currently called home, Loki called over his shoulder, “Natasha, once again, a happy birthday to you,” and left the party. _


	8. Present Day...(pt.2)

“Natasha’s… Oh! It was her birthday! Damn, I knew it was something important.”  _ Damn, what kind of friend am I? _ She hadn’t even hung out with Nat in a while.  _ I guess since I was trying so hard to avoid Steve I also avoided her... _

 

Darcy pointed at him. “Wait. You’re distracting me. This was supposed to be a talk about Steve.”

 

“Ah yes. The good Captain Steven. What would you like to know about him?”

 

Darcy stopped walking, unable to shake the feeling Loki was playing her. His apparent readiness to share what he knows was suspicious.

 

She closed her eyes and grit her teeth. Sighing, she asked, “Did I kiss Steve at the party?”

 

When no answer was forthcoming, Darcy opened her eyes again. Loki had kept walking without her, heading back towards the tower, a large black bird circling him and flying away. “Loki! You said you’d answer me!”

 

As she caught up with him, he turned to her, serious look on his face. “I’m afraid I must go. Apparently they’re expecting me upstate.” He created a portal, through which Darcy could see the facility. Nothing seemed to be wrong with it, but  _ something _ had to be happening if Steve and Loki were being called there.

 

As he stepped through it, Darcy called, “Are you going to answer me?”

 

Loki turned as the portal closed behind him. “Yes.”

 

Dammit, now she didn’t know whether she kissed Steve or if Loki was just being an ass.  _ Well, Loki is always an ass. _ She recalled, three or four weeks ago, when Loki was at the tower last. He would pop up around corners and in places she didn’t expect to see him, startling her every time, though he would insist that wasn’t his intent. She really,  _ really _ hoped she didn’t kiss Loki, even if that did leave her with Steve.

 

As Darcy made her way back to the tower, she thought on what had happened with her and Steve. Sure, she may have snapped at him, but there was a semi-just cause for that. He hadn’t needed to tackle her like that. But perhaps some lingering resentment that didn’t belong to Steve was aired that day two months ago, and perhaps that’s really what’s bothered her?

 

Back when it was just her and Jane, every time something vaguely dangerous would happen, Darcy could take care of it. Darcy, and her trusty taser. Then Thor showed up, and suddenly they were in the danger big leagues. But Darcy tased him too, and if that didn’t create a superiority complex…

 

But Thor took care of New Mexico, then he showed up and took care of London… And then Steve ran in and tried to fix the portal thing Darcy  _ had under control _ and it was Thor all over again. But this time, Darcy knew she could have handled it. Sure, the Destroyer in NM was a little above her pay grade, and the red stuff in London was super weird, but this...this Darcy had.

 

Darcy sighed. She probably ought to apologize to Steve about that. He didn’t know all she needed to do was let go of the machine. He thought she was going in the portal regardless. 

 

Now she just had to wait for Steve to get back from whatever ‘minor’ event happened upstate.

 

Back at her desk, Darcy threw herself into her work to take her mind off it. Now that she’s decided what she needed to do, further thought would just cause her to worry needlessly and possibly change her mind. She’s becoming more and more sure that she doesn’t want to keep the animosity going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is a little short(er). Good news, these idiots have almost figured it out  
> Thanks for the kudos and comments, I love knowing you enjoy it <3


	9. Two Nights Ago... (Steve)

Man, this stuff is good. Maybe I can get Thor to bring me more sometime… _ Darcy thought as she took another sip from her glass. The world was pleasantly blurry around the edges, and she knew nothing could bother her now. _

 

_ Except perhaps Captain America and his sensibilities. She heard him say something to the effect of, “You’ve had enough to drink,” and she shot back with, “Nuh-uh! This is mine! Go get your own!” _

 

_ Steve just smiled and lifted her glass over his head. It was hard to take her seriously when she looked all pouty and acted like a spoiled child. The childlike impression left quickly, however, when she pressed her entire body against him, trying to reach her glass though it was well beyond her reach. _

 

_ Heat rose in his cheeks as his thoughts took an abrupt turn. He downed what was left in the glass, hoping she would back off once she saw her glass was empty. She did, some, but the pouting child impression was back. _

 

_ “Aw, c’mon Steve, that was mine. You can’t even get drunk… That was the good stuff too…” _

 

_ He grinned again, though the flush was still high in his cheeks. “Don’t worry darlin’, I enjoyed it.” _

 

_ She punched at his shoulder weakly, though she made contact just under his pectoral. “You drank it too fast to enjoy it.” _

 

_ Steve just laughed. “Trust me, I didn’t.” _

 

_ Darcy looked up at him and hummed. “Well, maybe I’ll be the judge of that.” _

 

_ Still grinning despite his confusion at that comment, it took Steve a moment to realize she meant to kiss him. Darcy leaned up against him, less gracefully this time, and he steadied her with a hand to her waist. “Oh, you’re good,” she murmured just loud enough for his super hearing to make out over the noise of the party, and she pressed her lips to his. _

 

_ Steve almost fell over as she licked her way into his mouth, humming as she found the taste of the ale. He felt drunk. Hell, he may  _ be _ drunk. Last time he tried something from Asgard, he actually got buzzed for a few minutes. And he didn’t down half a tankard of it in one go like this time. _

 

_ But also, Darcy. He thought maybe he’d feel this way every time she kissed him. This was unlike anyone else he’s ever kissed, even Peggy.  _

 

_ Wrapping his other arm around her, Steve began kissing her back in earnest. He wanted to savor this moment, to have a better memory of Darcy.  _ With a little luck, _ he thought, _ we can put that day behind us.

 

_ Darcy pulled back and grinned at him. “C’mon.” _

 

_ Steve let her pull him away from the party. But when they started going down to the residential floors, he balked. “Darcy, I don’t think-” _

 

_ “Shush. Sh...sh sh.” She laughed.  _

 

_ Steve grew a little more concerned as she started unlocking one of the doors. “Darcy…” _

 

_ She led him into her apartment. Like most of the other smaller apartments, the living room and kitchen were connected, with the only doors leading to the bathroom and the bedroom. Knitwear and many different colors of yarn were scattered purposefully throughout the space; it was obviously her chosen hobby, but she was neat enough about it to make it feel homey. Photos from New Mexico and England were tacked to the walls, along with candids of her with Jane and Thor.  _

 

_ While he was distracted absorbing her home, she leaned into him and kissed him again. It was another few moments before he pushed her away. At her disappointed sound, he insisted, “Not tonight, Darce.” _

 

_ She pouted and retreated to her bedroom. Not sure if he should leave, he decided to give it a few minutes. She returned fairly quickly, now dressed in a snug grey tank and flannel bottoms with the Avengers “A” all over them. Plopping on the couch, she reached towards Steve. _

 

_ Seeing no negative outcome from sitting next to her, he went. As soon as he sat down, she snuggled into his side and heaved a great sigh. Not two minutes later, she was asleep. _

 

_ Steve bit his lip to keep from laughing.  _ Apparently, I make a better pillow than whatever she has in her room.

 

_ He stayed a few minutes more, to ensure she settled into sleep, then carefully got up and laid her out on the couch. Spying a knit blanket in the corner, he draped that over her.  _

 

_ He was almost out her door before he remembered a bit of advice from Bucky regarding alcohol. He poured her a large glass of water from the tap and left it on the closest corner of the  kitchen island. Smiling at her once more, he closed her door carefully behind him as he left. _


	10. Present Day...(pt.3)

A week went by in this fashion. Jane never commented on her new work ethic, but Darcy could see her glancing at her now and again in speculation.

 

“Alright nerds!” Tony Stark strode into the room, halting most of the productivity. “It is Halloween and you all need a life!”

 

Darcy looked around the room, where most of the occupants were doing the same. 

 

“Aw, c’mon guys,” Tony groaned. “I didn’t want to have to pull this card, but I will.” He paused, but there was still no response. “I’ll be supplying the liquor, and you don’t have to dress up if you don’t want to.”

 

A cheer went up across the room, and hardly a glance was spared towards Jane and Dr. Banner before most of the interns and other science people darted out of the room. Tony pointed at the three of them. “I expect to see you there too. You know where to find me,” he said as he backed out of the room.

 

“Well,” Jane commented into the sudden silence, “I guess I better get changed.”

 

Banner chuckled. “Yeah, not me. I’m not really one to dress up.”

 

Jane looked at Darcy, but she just shrugged. “Well, I guess I’ll see you two in a couple hours,” Jane said as she walked out. “Don’t forget to turn out the lights.”

 

\--

 

Darcy wasn’t sure what she expected from this party, but since it was Stark-designed and Halloween, gaudy was almost a given. Still, he managed to keep it above the bar set for his parties before his transformation into Iron Man. Darcy’s seen the photos. There’s considerably more clothes and less hired “entertainment” now.

 

Spotting Banner across the room, she couldn’t help but giggle. Darcy had dug out a longish black coat and red and gold striped tie, the only concession to a costume she was going to give. He had similar ideas about dressing up, having taped a glow stick bracelet to a probably borrowed band tee. Jane, never more than a few feet from Thor, seems to have borrowed his cape (or is wearing a red curtain, Darcy’s not sure) and wrapped her torso in a metallic silver fabric Darcy’s never seen before. The jeans kind of threw that look, but so far, Jane’s tried the hardest. Shaking her head, Darcy thought  _ I guess there’s only so much you can do with a spur-of-the-moment costume party in the middle of the week _ . 

 

Most of the nerds from Jane’s lab were there, taking advantage of the free booze. In fact, the party seemed to be a celebration for every department in the tower, as there were a lot of faces Darcy didn’t recognize, though most of them still wore their name badges.

 

Natasha appeared next to Darcy. “Looking for someone?”

 

Darcy jumped and clutched at her heart. “Dammit! Jeez, Nat. Yeah, actually, I don’t think I wished you a happy birthday last week. I might have, but I got a little drunk and don’t quite remember and I feel really bad about that because I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever and…” she smiled sheepishly. “Hope you had a good birthday.”

 

Natasha smirked at her. She was wearing what everyone else would have called everyday clothes. A comfortable-looking tee and slim fit jeans was not a look Darcy had ever seen Nat wear, but she looked at home in them as much as any other outfit she wore. “It was good. Someone’s said their gift is running a little behind schedule, but overall, much better than any other year.”

 

Waggling her eyebrows, Darcy grinned at her. “‘OMG thanks so much for the suggestion, Darcy, I’m so glad I finally told everyone my birthdate-’”

 

The blonde playfully smacked her. “Fine, thank you, Darcy, for the suggestion. I’ve always wanted Tony to throw a party in my honor.”

 

Darcy shuddered. “Ok, yeah, maybe not. But still-”

 

“You ladies are as radiant as ever.” A smooth voice from behind them cut through the cheesy halloween tunes. Natasha turned as though she knew he was there; Darcy clutched at her heart and had to calm her breathing again. 

 

“Ah, Loki. Dressed up as yourself, I see,” Nat greeted him.

 

“Indeed. Though the argument could be made that this, too, is a costume.”

 

Nat grinned. “Exactly my thoughts on the subject.” 

 

A commotion towards the back of the room caught their attention, and through the crowd Darcy could see a tall blonde -  _ perhaps Steve, since Loki’s here too _ \- in the middle of it all. Steeling herself for what she was about to do, she excused herself from Nat and Loki and headed in that direction.

 

Steve was indeed the cause of all the ruckus, in a way. He and Bucky had swapped uniforms. The long sleeves and gloves on the 40s era Captain America uniform completely concealed Bucky’s prosthetic, and a very realistic paint job on Steve’s bare left arm completed the Winter Soldier outfit, sans face mask and goggles. Both had used spray-on hair dye, but had otherwise done nothing different with their hair, causing a rather hilarious incongruity.

 

The commotion was caused by a rather large number of lower-level agents and other employees begging for photographs, and Darcy couldn’t blame them. She wanted one herself. 

 

Spotting her, Steve grinned. He looked like a kid at Christmas, and Darcy couldn’t help grinning back. After a while, the crowd thinned as people got their pictures and got back into the party atmosphere. Darcy looked ‘Steve’ up and down, for the first time noticing how similar their body types were.

 

Turning to ‘Bucky,’ Darcy’s shyness reared its head. “Hey...Hey, Steve.”

 

Just by looking at her, Steve could tell she was psyching herself up to something. She was ducking her head and toeing at the floor, obviously very aware of him but not wanting to look at him. Taking pity on her, he offered, “Want to go somewhere a little quieter?”

 

She looked up, relief written over her face. “Yeah. Yeah, that would be good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got lazy and haven't written this weekend...which means these chapters are now caught up with my writing. Apologies if the quality and/or scheduling isn't quite up to par anymore


	11. Drunk on You

Steve led her to a small room not far from the party. ‘Room’ was generous; it appeared to be an unused storage closet. 

 

_ C’mon, Darcy. This is it. _

 

“I, uh, I would like to -” she started.

 

“I’m sorry for -” he said at the same time.

 

They both froze.

 

“You first -”

 

“Go ahead -”

 

They laughed. Ever the gentleman, Steve gestured for her to go first.

 

Darcy took a deep breath. “I wanted to apologize for my...attitude that one time, with the invasion and everything. When you tackled me away from the alien portal. I was...well, it was rude and uncalled for. And it wasn’t even really you I was mad at.”

 

Steve nodded and quirked up a smile. “I was going to apologize for rescuing you, but it seems I don’t have to anymore.” 

 

Darcy’s jaw dropped. “Sorry, what?” 

 

Steve burst out laughing. “Kidding, kidding. I do know I should have taken an extra second to confirm you needed help, but I was a little more worried that you were less than a foot from that vortex and didn’t seem to realize it.” He shrugged. “I was running for you before you dropped the thing you had, but then you fell forward, and...I thought that was it. You were going to be gone. I...didn’t really think after that. I just acted.”

 

Darcy blinked. Had she really been that close to the portal? Why hadn’t she realized that?

 

Steve shifted in the silence, picking a little at the cracks in the paint on the joints of his hand. “Can I ask who you were mad at?”

 

Darcy snorted. “Thor, mostly. You know, patriarchal society, savior complex... Did you know Sif is the only woman he knows who can fight? Or, at least, before he met Nat, I guess. I guess I was just used to doing things myself, you know? Just me and Jane and whatever we could do on our own. It’s not like Thor was around all the time. Plus, you guys were busy killing the aliens and I already knew how to stop them…”

 

Steve was nodding through all that, remembering a scrawny kid who thought he was the only one who would do anything. He, at least, had Bucky. Darcy? Darcy didn’t have a Bucky. Granted, she’s not nearly as reckless as he was. 

 

“So…” Darcy paused. “Do you think we could, I don’t know, pick up where we left off?”

 

Steve’s eyes widened. Scenes from a week ago flashed through his mind in a riot of color and emotion. Darcy’s curves pressed up against him. Darcy kissing him. Darcy coyly - albeit drunkenly - leading him to her rooms. Darcy snuggled into his chest, snoring peacefully. 

 

Darcy watched those recollections cross his face, unsure of what his sudden flush meant. “I mean, or we could just start over, I guess.”

 

“No! Um, I just have one question for you.” Steve rubbed his face with his unpainted hand, smearing some black eye paint.

 

“Shoot.”

 

“Do you still not remember Natasha’s birthday party?” 

 

Darcy laughed self-consciously. “Yeah, I still don’t have all the information there.” Remembering the photos of her kissing  _ someone _ , she gasped. Covering her face, she exclaimed, “Oh no! You totally think I’m a slut because I made out with someone and don’t know who he is and woke up in my room and don’t know how I got there and you don’t really want to deal with that! Ugh, I’m such an idiot, I’m so sorry, I -”

 

Steve laughed. He tried not to, he really did. As Darcy trailed off into slightly-offended silence, Steve attempted to control the giggles. “No! Oh, Darcy, that’s not it at all.” Darcy tried not to get impatient as he recovered. “I would like to tell you who you ‘made out’ with that night, if you’d like to know.” 

 

“If I’d - Steve, that was the whole point of asking you a week ago!” Realization dawned. “It  _ was _ you! I asked - you let me - this whole time? You knew?”

  
It was Steve’s turn to snort. “Uh, yeah. If you recall - ok, so that’s the problem, you can’t - but I wasn’t nearly as drunk. Actually, you pointed out that I  _ can’t _ get drunk.” He stepped closer, tucking a loose lock of hair behind her ear. “Except, apparently, on you.”


	12. Natasha's Gift

About 5 weeks ago…

 

_ Natasha watched the increasingly awkward interactions between Steve and Darcy. All her hard work, setting up ‘accidental’ meet-ups and making sure one or the other had a reason to be in the other’s general vicinity… all gone to waste because of some inconsequential aliens and hard words said in the heat of battle. And because both of them are hard-headed idiots, it seemed.  _

 

And they were so close!  _ Natasha could practically see their first child...lovingly named after herself, of course. Baby Natasha would be the most spoiled. She missed her chance with the Barton’s child. Nathaniel is super adorable, but baby Nat...perfection.  _

 

_ She had bet Tony she would have them on a date before her birthday. She was so confident, and they fit so well…  _ Too well, it seemed. They were perhaps too similar. 

 

_ A green-clad figure appeared in her line of sight, blocking the feuding couple from her vision. “The lady Natalia, fancy meeting you here. Lurking around corners, are we?” _

 

_ Natasha focused a glare on the trickster. “I go by Natasha.” _

 

_ Loki grinned. “Indeed. Very well, then,  _ Natasha _. Why are we staring at...hm, the Captain, is it?” _

 

_ Narrowing her eyes at Loki for a moment, Nat watched Steve and Darcy pretend the other wasn’t there as Jane and Thor continued conversing with them. She sighed. “I tried setting them up together. They were getting along well, until some aliens showed up and apparently convinced them otherwise. Relatives of yours?” _

 

_ Loki glanced towards the quartet down the hallway before refocusing on Natasha. He thought for a moment, then asked, “Would it be presumptuous of me to assume I am forgiven for being mind-controlled by Thanos and attacking your planet all those years ago?” _

 

_ Nat focused on Loki, noting the sincerity in his eyes and hopeful set of his mouth. Lifting her chin, she countered, “Forgiven by me or by the rest of the world?” _

 

_ His attention didn’t waver. “By you.” _

 

_ She glanced down the hall again. “You think you can do something.” It wasn’t a question. _

 

_ “Hm, yes. I’m also hoping it will gain me something.” _

 

_ She lifted her gaze back to him. If her eyelashes fluttered, it was pure happenstance. “I guess you’ll have to find out.” _

 

_ \-- _

 

_ Present Day... _

 

Natasha and Loki had followed Darcy and Steve, and only their skills disappearing (literally, in Loki’s case) kept more people from following. Standing outside the closet, they could clearly hear the occasional exclamation, but the overall tone was promising.

 

They shared a look. “Sounds promising,” Natasha commented.

 

Loki smirked. “Of course it does.”

 

They retreated far enough to keep an eye on the door without seeming to be paying it any mind.

 

Natasha looked up to see him gazing at her. “Happy belated birthday.”

 

The corner of her mouth quirked up. “My favorite gift.”

 

His lips echoed the shape of hers. “Good.”

 

\--

 

Steve and Darcy stumbled out of the closet, laughing and holding hands. Steve’s hair is blonder now, the black paint smeared across Darcy’s hands evidence of where it went. 

 

A longer-haired ‘Steve’ across the room caught the shorter-haired man’s eye and raised a glass to him. Steve grinned and raised their intertwined hands back. Darcy laughed and pulled him down into a kiss. Whoops echoed throughout the room as friends and coworkers took notice. The two of them couldn’t stop grinning even while kissing. 

 

Grins flashed from two figures in a shadowy corner as they slipped out the back, their hard work having finally paid off.

 

“Hey!” a voice shouted. The lovebirds hardly noticed the drop in volume, but when Tony Stark pushed his way toward them, they finally broke apart. “Hey! C’mon! What is this?”

 

Steve laughed and swung their interconnected hands. “What do you mean?”

 

“This! I let Natasha extend her bet because I didn’t think she could win it!” Tony made a face. “You did this on purpose!”

 

Darcy gazed at Steve through her lashes. “No. But I would have.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you all! Thanks so much for enjoying it and for your lovely comments!  
> <3


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